Disclaimer: I own nothing. All Characters and names belong to J K Rowling.

Chapter 1

The Dare

"For heaven's sake Ginny!" exclaimed Hermione, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I think it's a crazy idea, and I'm not going to do it!" Hermione really enjoyed Ginny's company most of the time, but when she decided to be stubborn about something, there was no reasoning with her. Ginny had been trying, with little success, to talk Hermione into asking Ron out on a date.

"But Mione," she pleaded, Ron's never even kissed anyone yet, and he's already sixteen!"

"You say that like it's a near tragedy Ginn" Hermione chuckled. "Besides, she pointed out reasonably, that's not exactly my fault."

"I'm not saying it is your fault," said Ginny with a sigh. "I just thought you might want to help out one of your best friends."

Hermione's eyes widened. "I would not kiss my best friend just because he's never kissed anyone before," she sputtered furiously, glaring at Ginny.

Ginny laughed. "That's not what I meant" she said. "I was only hoping that it would help him break into the dating world."

Hermione shook her head resolutely. "I do not want to go on a date with Ron for any reason", she stated firmly.

Ginny decided to change tactics. She smiled mischievously at Hermione. "I dare you," she said.

"Huh?" Hermione blinked.

"I dare you to ask my brother out on a date," said Ginny triumphantly. "No Gryffindor would not accept a dare."

Hermione laughed, looking very much amused. "Really." she said with a grin.

Ginny gaped at her. "Yes, really," she insisted.

"Just watch me," Hermione answered smugly.

Ginny stared at her like she'd fallen from another planet.

Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Ginny, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard. People shouldn't do stupid things just because they're being dared to."

Ginny shook her head. "I can't believe you just called going out on a date with Ron stupid" she said, looking annoyed. "And I can't believe you're backing out of accepting a dare!"

"I wouldn't want to give Ron any false impressions of my feelings for him," Hermione snapped back. "And if you're so keen on taking crazy dares, then I dare you to find out what kind of a kisser Draco Malfoy is. First hand!"

Ginny froze. She looked at Hermione in horror.

Hermione chuckled. "See?" she said. "Now you understand what I mean!"

Ginny stood up and walked determinedly toward the dormitory door. Hermione looked after her aghast.

"No! Ginny! Come back! I was just kidding!"

Ginny marched on down the spiral staircase, without even looking back.

Hermione ran after her, alarmed. "Ginny", she called desperately, "I didn't mean it. I was just being sarcastic."

Ginny marched through the common room.

"Ginny!" called Hermione frantically, "Don't go! Stop! I dare you not to!"

Ginny climbed through the portrait hole and was gone.

Ron and Harry looked up from their chess game in the corner of the common room curiously. Hermione just shook her head at them wearily, and went back upstairs.

Ginny had been having a very frustrating day. That morning, in the Great Hall, an owl had dropped a bright pink letter on her head. It looked almost like a howler, but the color was wrong. She slit it open a tad nervously, and jumped as it exploded into a bunch of pink and white flowers that hovered in the air in front of her face. She stared at it in disbelief as the whole Gryffindor table watched in amazement. A seductive voice started speaking from the midst of the flowers. This in itself would not have been so bad if it hadn't been for the fact that the voice belonged to Fred Weasley, and was immediately recognized as so, by almost everyone within hearing distance. The letter was not as loud as a howler, so not everyone could hear what it was saying, but it was loud enough to draw attention, if a letter exploding into flowers wasn't enough of an attention grabber!

"Ginny baby!" crooned Fred's voice. "How do you like our latest product? It's called a 'flowler'! Tell everyone about it for us - will you? I'm sending you an order form to hang up in the common room. Thanks Ginny honey! You're the best!" The voice then got a little louder. "I love you!" The flowler ended with a loud smooching sound, and then burst into hundreds of little flower pedals that hovered and danced around her head.

Ginny was bombarded with questions. "What was that Ginny?" asked Colin Creevey excitedly. "I got a few shots of it with my camera! Do you want copies? Who was it from? Are you dating someone? That voice sounded so familiar!"

"Sounds to me like the Weasleys can't afford to date anyone, so they've taken to dating each other," drawled an amused voice from behind her.

Ron shot off his seat red in the face, but Harry pulled him back down. "Shut up Malfoy," Harry threatened softly, "or I'll make sure Fred and George send you one next!" Malfoy almost gagged on his toast as he turned quickly and walked away.

The comments continued all morning as Ginny walked through the corridors to classes, thoroughly irritated, with flower pedals floating around her head. They refused to go away no matter what spell she shot at them. They stayed with her all through transfiguration, all through History of Magic, and almost until lunchtime, when, much to Ginny's relief, they finally withered and fluttered to the ground.

She entered the Great Hall for lunch, and sat down next to Ron and Harry hoping for a respite from her very trying morning.

"Hi Ginny!" Ron greeted her. "I hear you broke up with Dean Thomas."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "About a month ago Ron."

"Well," said Ron innocently, "I hope this time you'll pick someone more ...er...umm..."

"I'm not really interested in what you think!" snapped Ginny, furiously. "It's none of your bloody business whom I decide to date. Do you hear me telling you whom to date?"

Ron looked at her sourly. "You don't notice me dating half the school either, do you?" he said disgustedly.

Ginny eyed him dangerously.

"As a matter of fact, you haven't seen me date anyone at all" he continued.

Ginny was about to start ranting, when the last statement sunk in. She pondered it quietly for a moment. "It's true" she thought to herself. "I don't think I've ever seen him have a date with anyone." She turned to Ron curiously.

"Are you gay, Ron?" she asked.

Ron turned crimson. "Shut up, Ginny!" he hissed, as a few people nearby perked up their ears . "No, I'm not gay!" Harry hid a smile with his hand. Ron glared at him.

"Ok, ok, just asking" she said with a grin.

Ron turned away and started shoveling food into his mouth furiously.

Ginny continued to reflect on this new revelation. "If he isn't gay" she thought to herself, "why doesn't he ever go out with girls. Maybe he's too shy to ask. Or maybe he fancies someone who he thinks won't go out with him. Yeah. That must be it. Who could Ron fancy...hmm... Hermione? Yeah! I'll bet it's Hermione. Well, maybe if I could get Hermione to ask him out, then maybe they would get together. Or even if they would decide that it wouldn't work, then maybe he could get over her and move on to date other girls. Either way works for me. Then he would be busy enough with his own life to leave mine alone. I'll have to get Hermione to do this. It's a plan." she thought to herself with satisfaction.

Ginny finished eating quickly, and turned to Harry. "Where's Hermione?" she asked.

"What's it to you?" growled Ron, still miffed.

"In her room studying" answered Harry with a grin.

Ginny waved cheerfully, and walked off.

Obviously her conversation with Hermione had not gone at all as planned. Ginny hoped that her accepting this disgusting dare would make Hermione feel guilty enough to give in. She sighed as she headed towards the library. She needed a quiet place to think about this. This definitely called for a plan. She couldn't very well go over to Draco Malfoy and ask him to kiss her. She shuddered at the thought.

She turned into the library and grabbed any book at random off the shelf, so that Madame Pince wouldn't kick her out. She opened the book, and sat down in front of it. "Ok," she thought to herself. No. 1: "Be prepared for insults. If you lose your tempter, there's no way you'll succeed. He'll probably call you a whore, and say you need the money. Whatever. I can handle that. No. 2: Catch Malfoy alone. That's probably going to require some surveillance. He's almost always flanked by those two goons. Where would he be, that they wouldn't be? The library!" Ginny paused her thoughts for a moment and took a quick suspicious look around, as if expecting Malfoy to pop out from behind a book shelf any minute. She shook her head at herself, and continued with her thoughts. "No 3: Figure out a way to get him to kiss me. I'm going to have to say something. There's no way that Malfoy would kiss someone who's not in Slytherin, without a very good reason. What to say", Ginny mused. "Well. I'm going to have to make him feel like there's something in it for him ... or maybe that there's something to lose if he refuses. Yeah. That sounds better. He has something to lose. I'll tell him that I was voted by some girls to rate his kissing abilities. If he refuses to kiss me, I'll threaten to tell everyone that he's a terrible kisser. After all, why else would he refuse?" Ginny giggled to herself. "Good plan," she thought.

"What are you so happy about Weasel?" drawled a familiar voice. "Found a spell on how to remove freckles?" Ginny looked up in shock. Draco Malfoy was sneering down at her.